Hole Handicaps??

[What'saScore]

Got another greenhorne question.
On the scorecard, at the bottom of the scoring column for each hole, there is a handicap number for men and women. The numbers go anywhere from 1 to 18, and the difference between the mens number and the womans varies from 0 to 10. What do these numbers mean, and how are they applied to your score?

[Pa Jayhawk]

These are the rating of that hole 1 being the hardest on that course from that tee, and 18 being the easiest. If you are play match play and using handicaps, you will use this to determine which hole you receive strokes. So if I were giving you 5 strokes, you would recieve a stroke on holes 1-5. If I were giving you 23 strokes you would receive 1 on every hole and two on 1-5. You receive strokes on your hole handicap so if I play on the whites and my wife plays off the reds, and I give her 5 strokes, she gets them on her 5 toughest holes or 1-5 from the red tees handicap.

[Davebud]

The handicap # is simply this, if you and I went golfing, we would determine who has the higher handicap. If you are anywhere near me in this respect, we would need a calculator , then after subtracting the lower handicap from the higher, lets say we come up with 4. When we go out and start golfing, lets say I had the higher handicap, well on the holes that are numbered 1-4 on the handicap column, you would have to give me a stroke at each hole. Those numbers indicate the level of difficulty for each of the holes on the course, 1 being the hardest, and 18 being the easiest(hah hah).

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

Actually, it's not so simply that it goes from 1 (hardest) to 18 (easiest).

Ever notice that the front-9 has all the odd numbers, 1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15,17 and that the back-9 has the even numbers?

I believe what happens when a course goes to determine what number a hole gets is by taking scores posted by scratch, mid, and high handicappers. The hole that gets the #1 rating on the front is the hole that produces the greater variance between average scores between the levels. So, for example, a course I play has hole 10 as the #2 handicap hole, which likely indicates that a scratch player is getting a 4 on the hole, and a high-handicapper is averaging well above 6 strokes per hole, let's say 7 for this example. With an average difference of 3 strokes variance, it would make sense for the hole to give more strokes.

Now hole 11 is the 18th handicap, and the variance for it, a short straight par-4 may be 3.75 for scratch and 5.5 for a 36-handicap. Now you've got a variance of 1.75, so it makes sense to realize that hole needs less equalizing.

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

Found a page that explains better than I can.

http://www.ncga.org/handicap/handi2.htm

[What'saScore]

Originally Posted by Ravenous Bugblatter Beast

Found a page that explains better than I can.

http://www.ncga.org/handicap/handi2.htm

Ravenous thanks for the link. That explained it quite well.

[Davebud]

I thought I knew something, well thats all shot to hell. I will go back and stick my head in the sand, thanks alot RBB.

No really, I had not noticed that particular aspect of the handicap column, but now that you have pointed it out, it makes good sense. You wouldn't want to get or give strokes on the same 9, it just makes the other 9 a smoke fest.

[dave.]

Its not as simple as saying the odds are front nine and evens back.The ratings are based entirely on matchplay,its entirely possible for the technically hardest hole to be the 6th hardest,as at my course,because its the 18th.the shots in matchplay need to be spaced out to ensure the game is as fair as possible.Stroke 1 will never be the 17th or 18th for example.Strokeplay is irrelevant when working out the ss for each hole,its always maychplay.

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

Originally Posted by dave.

Its not as simple as saying the odds are front nine and evens back.The ratings are based entirely on matchplay,its entirely possible for the technically hardest hole to be the 6th hardest,as at my course,because its the 18th.the shots in matchplay need to be spaced out to ensure the game is as fair as possible.Stroke 1 will never be the 17th or 18th for example.Strokeplay is irrelevant when working out the ss for each hole,its always maychplay.

Well, it's simply divided up into evens and odds to make an easy way to equalize the front and the back. I was a bit incorrect, you could just as well put the odds on the front and the evens on the back.

Stroke play isn't quite irrelevant, as the link explained, at least for the United States, you want to determine what the variance is for stroke average between two groups, the low handicappers and the high handicappers, as that is the way you want to determine which holes should be cutting strokes in the matchplay situation between players.

And yes, there is consideration given as to the timing, so it is possible for the18th or 9th hole to have the greatest variance, but in order to make sure that strokes are given out before a scratch can quickly close out a high handicapper, you may give #2 to an earlier hole like 10, 11, or 12 and knock 18 down some.

Special care must be given to avoid the assignment of low numbered strokes near the end of each nine. In many instances, a 9- or 18-hole match could be completed before this pivotal stroke comes into play. Likewise it is best to avoid a low-numbered stroke to the first couple of holes on a golf course. In the event of a sudden-death playoff, this crucial stroke would be awarded too soon.

[dave.]

Agreed,thats what I meant.

[goatster]

Originally Posted by Ravenous Bugblatter Beast

Actually, it's not so simply that it goes from 1 (hardest) to 18 (easiest).

Ever notice that the front-9 has all the odd numbers, 1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15,17 and that the back-9 has the even numbers?



.

that only usualy happens if your playing a 9 hole course.if you look at a scorecard from a 18 hole course the ranking just goes from hardest to easiest.
example of an old card i have from a local 18 hole course

14 6 18 15 13 12 7 3 11 back 9 10 16 2 4 9 5 1 17 8

my home course is as you stated because its a 9 hole course.we also talked the owner into changing up the hc holes.we gave them the score cards from our league so they could determine the hardest holes.since our league has handicappers from 2 to 28.it should give them a good idea of what holes are the toughest.

[dave.]

As already discussed,its not as simple as that.It doesn't go simplest to hardest,matchplay effects how they grade the holes.On my course.the toughest hole is 18,yet its stroke 4